The Ulm 5: Pre-trial detention and the limits of German protest

The five activists—Daniel Tatlow-Devally, Zo Hailu, Crow Tricks, Vi Kovarbasic, and Leandra Rollo—were arrested following a September demonstration at Elbit Systems Germany in Ulm. While prosecutors allege the group caused approximately €1 million in damages and operated as a criminal organization, the defendants remain unconvicted. They have been held in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day, a state of pre-trial detention that is scheduled to extend until January 2027.

The proceedings have drawn intense criticism from families of the accused, who argue that the state is weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to silence political opposition. Mimi Tatlow-Golden, mother of Daniel Tatlow-Devally, noted that the indictment attempts to frame the activists within a narrative of hate speech, despite her own family’s Jewish heritage. As Germany continues to supply military hardware to Israel, the treatment of the Ulm 5 highlights a growing friction between the state’s security-focused legal apparatus and the rights of those protesting its foreign policy.